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[ISTP] Are ISTPs the most mysterious/confusing personality type?

badger055

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As an ISTP I always feel like I'm at war with myself. It's as if someone took the personality of a jock and a nerd and tried to smush them together. The results being I'm never truly a nerd or a jock and those two sides are always in conflict. Not to mention the other thousand quirks we have makes me think being an ISTP is the hardest personality type to "use".
 

StephMC

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Hm. I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure if "use" has anything to do with it. I will say that I've always had a pretty weak persona relative to a lot of people I know, maybe due to the personality conflicts you describe. Also, I've noticed that there's all sorts of images people have of me. My varying social circles/friends all seem to have a different idea of who/what I am. I definitely put on all different kinds of personas depending on who I'm around.

However, I don't feel like this is problematic for me. I still know how I should operate on an every day basis, and what my goals are (if that's what you meant by "use").

Anyways, care to expand? Give examples or details?
 

badger055

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Hm. I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure if "use" has anything to do with it. I will say that I've always had a pretty weak persona relative to a lot of people I know, maybe due to the personality conflicts you describe. Also, I've noticed that there's all sorts of images people have of me. My varying social circles/friends all seem to have a different idea of who/what I am. I definitely put on all different kinds of personas depending on who I'm around.

However, I don't feel like this is problematic for me. I still know how I should operate on an every day basis, and what my goals are (if that's what you meant by "use").

Anyways, care to expand? Give examples or details?
Ok here are more problems I have with the conflicting stuff.
-I want to be left alone but ultimately I'm not happy when I'm alone
-I'm both the laziest and most motivated person ever (it's hard to get control over myself sometimes)
-People like me but I don't like people. But if I consciously suppress Ti then oh wait I actually like people.
-Ti is always over thinking and stopping me from doing things and then I figured out I have to tell it to shut up
-Confusing as to what I really want out of life. For example Ti telling me some goals are worthless but would make Se happy.

When I read about other ISTPs they are either out floating directionless or they have it all figured out. I think this personality type is one of extremes. There are also many traps with the ISTP for example going into university especially for something you don't truly enjoy is a huge mistake and getting stuck in the Ti Ni loop is deadly.
 

StephMC

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I couldn't say we are more conflicted than most types, but yes, I think ISTPs can be very prone to the types of conflicts you mentioned. I definitely relate to your list. When I'm stressed, stuck between options/decisions, or not sure what direction I'm headed, I feel like a walking contradiction. If I put my Se out there, however, I can reel in enough data for my Ti to make use of, and pull myself out of whatever rut I'm in. It's the lack of data that puts me in the stressed out form of Ti + Ni. If it gets bad enough, I get pretty desperate for that data. At my worst, I overshare with people in attempt to get a rise out of them to get the input I need.

So, based on my own history, I'm going to take a guess and say you're feeling a little stressed right now -- at least enough to make a thread (in attempt for more data/input)? If you are stressed, I'd recommend really putting in some effort to use Se more. Live in the present. Shut off Ti if it gets out of hand, and just Se it up. Pause, then think and describe: "What do I smell, taste, touch, feel, and see?" It's a method of relaxation I use, to pull myself out of my head and into my present environment.
 

badger055

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I couldn't say we are more conflicted than most types, but yes, I think ISTPs can be very prone to the types of conflicts you mentioned. I definitely relate to your list. When I'm stressed, stuck between options/decisions, or not sure what direction I'm headed, I feel like a walking contradiction. If I put my Se out there, however, I can reel in enough data for my Ti to make use of, and pull myself out of whatever rut I'm in. It's the lack of data that puts me in the stressed out form of Ti + Ni. If it gets bad enough, I get pretty desperate for that data. At my worst, I overshare with people in attempt to get a rise out of them to get the input I need.

So, based on my own history, I'm going to take a guess and say you're feeling a little stressed right now -- at least enough to make a thread (in attempt for more data/input)? If you are stressed, I'd recommend really putting in some effort to use Se more. Live in the present. Shut off Ti if it gets out of hand, and just Se it up. Pause, then think and describe: "What do I smell, taste, touch, feel, and see?" It's a method of relaxation I use, to pull myself out of my head and into my present environment.
You guessed it I wanted more data even though I was not fully aware I was doing that and I can relate to everything you are saying. I have been on a warpath lately to figure out my personality once and for all. I was having trouble with motivation before but I think I have that figured out now. Not wanting to be social has been an ongoing problem and I'm still experimenting with that one even though I have improved somewhat.

Sometimes it's hard to know who to trust or cater to more Se or Ti. Ti is your best friend in the world some days but will stab you in the back without you knowing if you trust it too much. So basically our main function can't be trusted. If there is a personality more conflicted/confusing then ours then I want to know which one it is.
 

StephMC

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You guessed it I wanted more data even though I was not fully aware I was doing that and I can relate to everything you are saying. I have been on a warpath lately to figure out my personality once and for all. I was having trouble with motivation before but I think I have that figured out now. Not wanting to be social has been an ongoing problem and I'm still experimenting with that one even though I have improved somewhat.

Sometimes it's hard to know who to trust or cater to more Se or Ti. Ti is your best friend in the world some days but will stab you in the back without you knowing if you trust it too much. So basically our main function can't be trusted. If there is a personality more conflicted/confusing then ours then I want to know which one it is.

Glad I could give some useful input! Figuring out the cause/root of a behavior that's bothering you is a good first step :yes:

For the next step, take a breather. I've been there: kicking myself for not being as social as I really would like to be. Forcing myself seemed to help at some times, and hurt at other times. Listen to what you need. If you need a relaxing night alone, do it. Keyword: alone. I don't know about you, but I get in those anti-social states when I become very dependent on 1 or 2 individuals to satisfy my social needs. I never gather enough motivation to expand my social energy. If one day you realize you kinda wanna get out, act on it. That's Se-ing it up -- follow your urges in that moment. Don't let Ti dominate what you do/don't need. Objective Ti is not exactly the best function to determine what's important to you, which is a very subjective thing.

So it's not that Ti can't be trusted, you just need to recognize when it is and isn't a good time to use it in order to make decisions.
 

Lith

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Agree with you both. The chasm between Ti and Se is always there for me too. Sometimes they work well together but most of the time it's like having two separate personalities. The introspective, painfully serious one is determined to resolve (through laborious analysis) all the nagging doubts that I have piled up in every corner of my mind, on every facet of existence. Then the other one comes along and says, fuck that, I'm bored! Let's run amok viking-style! OMG that dog has a puffy tail!
 

RaptorWizard

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I think a lot of ISTPs can be confused for NT types except ENTJ and vice versa which would add to the confusion and make them so tough to read let alone identify whereas in stark contrast ISTJ is a very easy type to predict.
 

Randomnity

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As an ISTP I always feel like I'm at war with myself. It's as if someone took the personality of a jock and a nerd and tried to smush them together. The results being I'm never truly a nerd or a jock and those two sides are always in conflict. Not to mention the other thousand quirks we have makes me think being an ISTP is the hardest personality type to "use".
It's funny, I've heard this idea that jocks and nerds are opposites from a few different people.

I'm a bit of a hybrid jock-nerd and so are most of my friends (mostly not even STPs!). It's a persistent stereotype that nerds never leave the house, and some are indeed like that (including some of my other friends), but most of the nerds I know like to play sports. Probably because I gravitate towards that type of person, of course. We might not be the majority of nerds (I haven't done a survey) but you're not alone. :D

Nothing wrong with being smart AND active - it's ideal, if anything. Not fitting perfectly into a cheerleader/jock/nerd stereotype doesn't make you weird or confusing, haha. Every person is complicated, and full of contradictions. It's just a human thing. I think how "confusing" a given type is is largely dependent on the person trynig to understand them - both type and experience. An ISTP might be very confusing to an ENFP with little experience with Se types, and might not be confusing at all to an ISFP.
 

Jeffster

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No. Most stubborn, yes. But not most mysterious.
 

Crafter

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As an ISTP I always feel like I'm at war with myself. It's as if someone took the personality of a jock and a nerd and tried to smush them together. The results being I'm never truly a nerd or a jock and those two sides are always in conflict. Not to mention the other thousand quirks we have makes me think being an ISTP is the hardest personality type to "use".
I can really relate to the jock and nerd smushed together part. In high school I was crazy about basketball but I also took pascal programming.

Today I'm more nerdy than jock since I chose computers for a living. I wouldn't say the sides are in conflict though. It's more like they take turns balancing out in periods. I have weeks where I can be completely focused on sports and working out, then switch completely and become heavily introverted and be stuck in front of my computer learning new tech stuff/programming for extensive times.
 

RaptorWizard

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The introverted and thinking is the nerd part and the sensing and perceiving is the jock part.
 

Poki

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I had similiar issues in regard to nerd and stuff growing up. I enjoyed working on cars, I was a computer nerd, was really quiet and shy, in martial arts. The computer nerds I can chat with arent usually the physical side. I am a computer programmer, but give me a couple pallets of sod and a yard and I would jump at the physical challenge of laying all that sod. Seeing how quick I could do it, how high I can pile up the wheel barrow, and when I am done, it looks good and not like a rushed job.

Most people dont get me because they superimpose the "average" man on me. I am not average though, I am different so I tend to confuse people though they usually dont realize they are confused.
 

ChocolateMoose123

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Agree with you both. The chasm between Ti and Se is always there for me too. Sometimes they work well together but most of the time it's like having two separate personalities. The introspective, painfully serious one is determined to resolve (through laborious analysis) all the nagging doubts that I have piled up in every corner of my mind, on every facet of existence. Then the other one comes along and says, fuck that, I'm bored! Let's run amok viking-style! OMG that dog has a puffy tail!

Sometimes you gotta give in to Se and experience it. If Ti isn't giving you results, say F it and get your hands dirty. Sometimes, it will bring you back to an aha moment and settle that over active Ti.
 

KDude

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I had similiar issues in regard to nerd and stuff growing up. I enjoyed working on cars, I was a computer nerd, was really quiet and shy, in martial arts. The computer nerds I can chat with arent usually the physical side. I am a computer programmer, but give me a couple pallets of sod and a yard and I would jump at the physical challenge of laying all that sod. Seeing how quick I could do it, how high I can pile up the wheel barrow, and when I am done, it looks good and not like a rushed job.

Most people dont get me because they superimpose the "average" man on me. I am not average though, I am different so I tend to confuse people though they usually dont realize they are confused.

I see myself as a nerd too, but when I put things in perspective, and observe the obliviousness of bonafide nerds (and their reactions to me as well), I question that. Just slightly more practical "navigation skills", I think. I'm still disconnected from people in my own way (really just as much, I think).. but somehow socially aware and not standing out in any kind of eccentric way. I had some nerdy friends growing up too, but by my teens, I "branched out" just a little, even if I was a closet freak. And I cared enough to know when or who to ever fly that freak flag with too. That's something real nerds don't do.

edit: One thing in Lenore Thomson's book (and I think elsewhere) is the ISP proclivity to both be aware and question all of the trends and constructs and around them. There's a cynicism with Ti in particular described in her book, but at the same time, Se rebellion is much different than Ne rebellion. I don't even think Ne introverts know just how odd they really can be sometimes (which is cool too.. I envy that. Sounds liberating. I don't think I'm truly "out of the box". I just hate the box).
 

skylights

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My ISTP brother is very much like that too. He's a weightlifting, mountain biking, girl-magnet science nerd. I'm pretty sure he's a 9w8, too, which adds to his "split" personality. He's sweet and social, adventurous and physical, and observant and logical. And he's a bit of a prep, to round it out.

I really think he's got a very balanced personality in general - very healthy. He's generally enjoyable to be around and he seems pretty content overall as long as he keeps moving. Too much of one thing seems to bog him down.
 
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